3 Huntsville schools to be honored for 'No Place for Hate' designation

A group of Whitesburg P-8 students show off their school's "No Place for Hate" banner in a hallway at the school. The school, along with Grissom High and Westlawn Middle, recently earned the designation by the Anti-Defamation League. (Contributed by Huntsville City Schools)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Three Huntsville schools will be honored at tonight's school board meeting for earning the "No Place for Hate" distinction from the Anti-Defamation League.

Grissom High, Westlawn Middle and Whitesburg P-8 are the first schools in the district to earn the distinction, a news release from the district said. The school system is working to implement the initiative at all middle and high schools by spring.

The "No Place for Hate" program works to deter bullying and bigotry in schools. It is integrated into a school's core curriculum, teaching a message about the destructive impact of hate.

"No Place for Hate" was a topic of conversation at a school board meeting last October, as Grissom JROTC students and parents stood up to defend 1st Sgt. Lynn Vanzandt, the school's JROTC instructor. Vanzandt was accused last year of bullying two female students during class.

One of the girls claimed that the instructor lectured them about his Biblical views of homosexuality, even after they begged him to stop.